What Is Being Done to Save The Malayan Tigers? – Conservation Efforts in Pahang
As we move forward into the future, we must also not forget that our majestic icon, the Malayan Tiger, is struggling to survive in the wild. Humans are to blame for this. Throughout the years, the number of tigers has dramatically decreased because of poaching, deforestation, and the reduced number of prey.
John Goodrich, Panthera’s Chief Scientist and Director of the Tiger Program, says that only about 150 tigers are left in the wild. From those numbers, the IUCN Red List says that only about 80 to 120 tigers are thought to be breeding adults, and that number is believed to have gone down over the years. A few Malayan Tigers (Harimau Malaya) are living in zoos. Some are the Johor Zoo, Zoo Negara, and Taiping Zoo. About 54 of these tigers now live in the Cincinnati Zoo, the Bronx Zoo and several other zoos in North America. This article will uncover what is being done to save the Malayan Tiger.
Our Save The Malayan Tiger Conservation Campaign, led by Tengku Mahkota Pahang, HRH Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, aims to conserve the number of Malayan Tigers in Pahang but also to preserve their natural habitat in the dense forests in Pahang.
What Is Being Done to Save the Malayan Tigers #1 – The Establishment of the Pahang Wildlife Ranger Unit
The Pahang Wildlife Ranger Unit will help keep poaching to a minimum. The Pahang Wildlife Ranger Unit comprises of people who are passionate about saving our tigers and know how to survive in the jungle. Not only that, they are also familiar with the area’s natural habitat. Their tasks include watching how the tigers act and keeping an eye out for poachers or hunters who might be coming close. They are responsible for preserving a large area of land in Pahang to ensure that no illegal hunters or poachers are lurking. This is where they will do their surveys, write down what they see, and keep an eye out for poachers. From this analysis, they can come up with many other ways to either stop the poachers or catch them so they can be turned over to the authorities to be punished for their crimes.
What Is Being Done to Save the Malayan Tigers #2 – Community Outreach
We appreciate all kinds of assistance, especially those that help in general awareness. This helps the public be aware of the conservation efforts in saving the Malayan Tigers and encourages them to support our campaign. On the other hand, we are also educating the public about the Malayan Tigers, how they cope with their habitat, and what they need the most in a safe environment. These educational efforts will help the public to be more aware of the status of our national icon. Not only that, we will soon establish a community outreach program to increase understanding of our tigers throughout Malaysia.
What Is Being Done to Save the Malayan Tigers #3 – Prevent Wildlife Syndicates
It is essential to participate in active conservation efforts that prevent wildlife syndicates. Through coordination between different agencies, we are hopeful that the poaching of Malayan Tigers will end in the future. This wildlife crime task force will include, but not be limited to, people from Perhilitan, the Royal Malaysian Police, the Armed Forces, the Maritime Enforcement Agency, and other non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The number of Malayan Tigers in the wild will increase if we make it easier for agencies to work together to take targeted actions that can disrupt the networks that foreign poachers use to help each other.
What Is Being Done to Save the Malayan Tigers #4 – Increasing Protected Areas for the Tigers’ Natural Habitat
As another part of the campaign, the protected areas in the Tekai landscape are increased to cover more grounds and disrupt any possible routes of illegal hunters and poachers to go near our tigers.
What Is Being Done to Save the Malayan Tigers #5 – Prevent Large Conversion of Their Natural Habitat to Other Land Use
Tigers in the dense tropical forests in Pahang have a large-roaming habitat, and a vast area of the forests is needed for the tigers to inhabit. Isolated patches of forest that are not connected are more likely to reduce prey population, and tigers are less likely to move into these areas. This makes it harder for the population to grow. Therefore, ensuring that their habitat is protected and remains as forests while maintaining the connectivity of the forest patches is essential.
The goal of what is being done to save the Malayan Tigers cannot be seen as a short-term project. Instead, it is a meaningful journey that requires people with similar goals to work together. We still have a lot of work to do. We must keep making high-impact efforts to protect this beautiful species and, more importantly, ensure the whole ecosystem is not in danger.